wordpress-plugin-publish

WordPress Plugin Publish

Use Pressship for WordPress.org plugin submission and release work. Prefer npx pressship unless the user explicitly wants the local checkout version.

Safety Rules

• Never publish, submit, reupload, or release without first running a dry run, unless the user explicitly says to skip it.
• Do not push git commits or tags unless the user explicitly asks.
• Report Plugin Check findings clearly. Do not hide them just because Pressship can continue.
• Use repeatable excludes for large or source-only files. Prefer .pressshipignore when the project already has one.
• If Pressship prompts interactively, answer only with user-approved or obvious plugin metadata.
• If authentication fails, run npx pressship login and let the user complete WordPress.org login.

Orientation

From the plugin directory:

npx pressship whoami
npx pressship status .
npx pressship info .

Use status to determine whether publish will target a pending submission reupload or an approved SVN release.

Local Playground Test

Start a local WordPress Playground with the plugin mounted:

npx pressship demo .

Useful options:

npx pressship demo . --port 9401
npx pressship demo . --wp 6.8 --php 8.3
npx pressship demo . --reset
npx pressship demo . --skip-browser

Package Check

Create and validate a WordPress-installable zip without uploading:

npx pressship pack .

For projects with bulky assets or source-only files, pass explicit ignores:

npx pressship pack . --ignore "assets/**" --ignore "src/**" --ignore "node_modules/**"

Inspect package file count and included paths. Make sure the ZIP contains runtime PHP, built assets, readme.txt, and any required examples or static assets.

Submit Or Reupload Pending Review

Use this for new plugins or WordPress.org submissions still awaiting review.

Dry run first:

npx pressship publish . --dry-run -y

Then upload:

npx pressship publish . -y

When the project contains large non-distribution directories, repeat the same ignore flags in both commands:

npx pressship publish . --dry-run -y \
  --ignore "assets/**" \
  --ignore "src/**" \
  --ignore "scripts/**" \
  --ignore "package.json" \
  --ignore "package-lock.json" \
  --ignore ".github/**" \
  --ignore "node_modules/**" \
  --ignore "dist/**"

npx pressship publish . -y \
  --ignore "assets/**" \
  --ignore "src/**" \
  --ignore "scripts/**" \
  --ignore "package.json" \
  --ignore "package-lock.json" \
  --ignore ".github/**" \
  --ignore "node_modules/**" \
  --ignore "dist/**"

After upload, confirm:

npx pressship status .

Release Approved Plugin

Use this only when the plugin is already approved and the user wants a WordPress.org release.

Dry run first:

npx pressship publish . --release --dry-run -y

Then release:

npx pressship publish . --release -y

If Pressship cannot infer the slug or username:

npx pressship release . --slug my-plugin --username WpOrgUser --dry-run
npx pressship release . --slug my-plugin --username WpOrgUser -y

Version Bumps

Only run version bumps when the user asks:

npx pressship version patch .
npx pressship version minor .
npx pressship version major .

After a version bump, review changed plugin headers, readme.txt stable tag, and changelog.

Final Report

Always include:

• Whether a dry run was run.
• Package size and notable included/excluded files.
• Plugin Check result summary.
• Upload/release status and slug.
• Whether git was left untouched or changed.